NCJ Number
205468
Date Published
December 2001
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This study offers a descriptive analysis of sex offenders assessed at the Sex Offender Risk Reduction Center (SORRC) between January 1999 and May 1999.
Abstract
The SORRC opened in December 1995 as part of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s (ODRC) effort to more effectively manage the sex offender population. During the study period, 437 offenders were sent to SORRC as identified sex offenders. Data were drawn from the pre-sentence investigation (PSI) report, the offender background investigation (OBI) report, and any other Adult Parole Authority record. Also examined was all information collected at SORRC as part of the offender assessment process. Sex offenders were categorized into four groups: child molesters (victims under age 13), teen molesters (victims aged 13 to 17), rapists (victims aged 18 and over), and multiple age victims (victims in at least two different age categories). Statistical analysis of various demographic, criminal, and social variables and of the most recent sexual offense and victim revealed that 46 percent of those assessed were child molesters, 23 percent were teen molesters, 21 percent were rapists, and 10 percent had victims of varying ages. The majority of rapists were Black, while the majority of child molesters, teen molesters, and offenders with multiple aged victims were White. Child molesters and offenders with multiple aged victims were on average older than rapists and teen molesters. Teen molesters were least likely to be classified as sexual predators. However, it was the offenders with multiple aged victims that had more prior criminal convictions and more convictions for sexual offenses. Rapists had the greatest frequency of substance abuse and were more likely than other offenders to have an unstable employment history and to have never been married. Child molesters were most likely to have been married, to have a stable employment history, and to have a high school education. Rapists had the most violent criminal histories and were most likely to victimize females and strangers. Rapists were also more likely to tie up their victim, move their victim, use a weapon, use force, and commit their crimes in public places than the other types of sexual offenders. Better knowledge of sex offenders allows for more focused programming, leading to better outcomes in terms of offender recidivism. Directions for future research are considered. Tables, footnotes, appendix